Through November 2010, Vietnam has exported nearly 76 thousand MT of tuna, worth over US$265.7 million, up 49.5 percent in volume and 62 percent in value compared to the same period of 2009. It is estimated that in 2010 tuna export reaches about 82.6 thousand MT, worth US$287 million.
The main causes of this growth were the high average export price of tuna, the increasing demand while some countries are proposed to reduce the catch quotas for tuna.
From January to November, 2010, the average export price of Vietnamese tuna was at 3.49 USD per kg, up 8 percent compared to 3.23 USD per kg in 2009.
The average export price of Vietnamese tuna to major markets like the U.S., EU and Japan were high at 4.41 USD per kg, 3.6 USD per kg and 4.78 USD per kg, respectively.
The U.S. market: Late May and early June 2010, the U.S. surpassed EU to become the biggest and stable importer of Vietnamese tuna. Through November 2011, the U.S. has imported over 27 thousand MT of Vietnamese tuna, worth more than US$120 million, up 54.6 percent in volume and 94.6 percent in value against the same period of 2009.
EU market: Tuna is usually considered as one of the main foods in European countries, especially in Italy, Germany and Belgium. In the first 11 months of 2010, EU has imported 15,690 MT of Vietnamese tuna, worth nearly US$57 million, up 3.9 percent in volume and 12 percent in value over the same period last year.
Japanese market: Japan is the leading tuna consumption country (accounting for about 80 percent of the total global tuna production), an average of 41 kg of fresh tuna and tuna products per a household per year. Through November, 2010, Japan has imported over 4,350 MT of Vietnamese tuna, worth over US$ 20.8 million.